Wasting feed in brooder

[Beakrr]

4 week old guineas and chickens in my brooder. Hanging feeder about 4” off floor. I was sitting it on the ground but they kept using it for a toilet. They are wasting a TON of feed and won’t eat it off the ground. The chick starter has crumbles and what I’m calling “dust”. They’ll eat the crumbles, but won’t mess with the finer grains. Is this typical? Do I have cheap feed? I’m attaching a picture of the floor before I cleaned out the tank. This is 5 days old. There was 1-1.5” of poplar shavings on the ground before this mess

 

[Anime2lover]

I dont know about the others, but chicks arent typically that messy. What kinda feeder do you have? (Curious)

 

[Anime2lover]

I dont know about the others, but chicks arent typically that messy. What kinda feeder do you have? (Curious)

The amount you have in the brooder may play a part in it to if theres to many for your space?

 

[Beakrr]

Here’s the feeder.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Try putting some screen wire over the feed, maybe a strip under the white plastic fingers if possible. 1/4" hardware cloth should allow the chicks to peck for feed but not rake it around.

 

[Acre4Me]

Chicks are messy, crumbles add to the mess. So you will have some trouble with waste.

So far, we put our crumbles in those chick feeders with oval holes and screw on jar. Some mess, but we put it on top of wood blocks, large enough for some chicks to step up onto the blocks and eat, but minimizes the poop and shaving additions.

We have added the long tray feeder with oval holes this time due to 26 chicks. Also, some waste, but ok. Worst problem with this is shavings because it is sitting directly on the shavings.

You can add water to the powdery stuff and they will eat wet feed.


We use that same feeder for our adults eating pellets and we have been happy with the fact that we have little mess with the adults, but the feeder is at the level of their backs.

 

[Beakrr]

I didn’t know about adding water. Good idea. They’re all in the coop now, so problem solved

 

[gatrapper]

If I have a batch that is very messy, I will give them small portions of feed that has been mixed with water.